Athletic TrainerAnd what they do?

Athletic Trainers are health care personnel who are specifically trained to help diagnose and they treat and prevent sports injuries in various sports settings. Sports like football, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, hockey.

A day in the life of an Athletic Trainer: -Every day a Yukon athletic trainer presents different athletes, different injuries and challenges. 2 P.M. A long line of football players wait for Walker to get to his office and be check if they can practice on Tuesday. 2:10 P.M. Walker puts 2 athletes through their first evaluation for new injuries. Other athletes have entered and begun rehabilitation work, including two players with knee injuries. One needed surgery and one is rehabbing without surgery, a process Walker's staff has overseen from the start. 2:42 P.M. In the middle of the room, Walker begins humming the "Pomp and Circumstance March" aka the graduation song. An athlete who had a concussion just cleared his final hurdle in the return of play process, thus graduating from he concussion protocol. 3:06 P.M. A football player with pads on comes through. He had a cast on his arm and needs high density foam tape over the top of it so he can practice with his team. 3:30 P.M. Walker heads out to the football field to monitor practice. He checks one football players ankle, and another players sore elbow to see if they are all right. 3:56 P.M. A student aide walks over with a simple message for Walker: "Kid in the red zone" she says. And Walker runs off to evaluate the injury. 4:17 P.M. "Focus on your stepping, " Walker yellows to a player rehabbing from ACL surgery as he walks by. Walker instructs them on the proper walking motion to avoid further problems in his knee. 4:45 P.M. Sitting at his laptop, Walker begins typing in his notes from the day. In all, his staff had evaluated 20 athletes from six different sports, not including simple requests and questions from other athletes. 4:52 P.M. A group of cross country runners entered, they needed ice bags after a long run to Lake Overholser. 5:05 P.M. With fellow athletic trainer Dain Foster already gone to work a volleyball match, the third member of the staff, Emilie Shannon, leaves for a middle school football game. 5:18 P.M. A lightning strike is detected with in 10 miles of the football stadium, meaning practice must be called off. Walker heads out to alert the coaches. 5:20 P.M. Unprompted, the student aides have begun cleaning the athletic training facility. 5:27 P.M. The player with the injured elbow who was one of the first players in the athletic training facility at 2 P.M. and visited with walker while he was on the field during practice. Then Walker discusses the possibility problems the player could face if the injury progresses in his elbow. 5:39 P.M. The last athletes of the day come through the door for a quick check up. Walker finishes up and shuts down for the day. About an hour earlier than usual, thanks to the incoming weather that Walker could leave early.

How To Become An Athletic Trainer: To become an athletic trainer one must have a degree from an accredited professional level education program and then sit for and pass the Board of Certification (BOC) examination. Each state then has their own regulatory agencies that control the practice of athletic training in their state. Most states require an athletic trainer to obtain a license in order to practice in that state, 5 states (Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Oregon, West Virginia) require registration, 2 states (New York, South Carolina) require certification, while California has no state regulations on the practice of athletic training. Areas of expertise of certified athletic trainers include: Apply protective or injury-preventive devices such as tape, bandages, and braces
Recognize and evaluate injuries
Provide first aid or emergency care
Develop and carry out rehabilitation programs for injured athletes
Plan and implement comprehensive programs to prevent injury and illness among athletes
Perform administrative tasks such as keeping records and writing reports on injuries and treatment programs.

Athletic trainers (ATs) are highly qualified, multi-skilled health care professionals who collaborate with physicians to provide preventative services, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions. Athletic trainers work under the direction of a physician as prescribed by state licensure statutes. Athletic trainers are sometimes confused with personal trainers. There is, however, a large difference in the education, skillset, job duties and patients of an athletic trainer and a personal trainer. The athletic training academic curriculum and clinical training follows the medical model. Athletic trainers must graduate from an accredited baccalaureate or master’s program, and 70% of ATs have a master’s degree. Learn more about the education of athletic trainers. And also Athletic trainers provide medical services to all types of patients, not just athletes participating in sports, and can work in a variety of job settings. Athletic trainers relieve widespread and future workforce shortages in primary care support and outpatient rehab professions and provide an unparalleled continuum of care for the patients. Athletic trainers improve functional outcomes and specialize in patient education to prevent injury and re-injury. Preventative care provided by an athletic trainer has a positive return on investment for employers. ATs are able to reduce injury and shorten rehabilitation time for their patients, which translates to lower absenteeism from work or school and reduced health care costs.